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There's no handbook on how to go about soliciting businesses. Each company does things a little differently. Big corporations usually have a "facilities management" division located in their corporate headquarters and the head of that department is the one who usually pulls the strings. Smaller companies usually make grounds maintenance decisions in house and you'll just have to find out who that person is and ask if you can submit a bid.

You'll need to be insured and have workmans comp and in some cases a surety bond. I would have all my ducks in a row before speaking with any large companies.

And just a quick heads up, sometimes the people who make snow removal decisions don't know their head from their azz. One guy who I report to has never even seen snow before! He's in California and he has no intentions of coming to Minnesota in the winter.

I've had some luck with making up a single page flier, going to all the small to mid size business I want to plow and giving a flier to the receptionest and very nicely ask her/him to pass it along to whoever is in charge of hiring contractors.

It is on my letter head and I put on there my experiencee, equipement I have, that I am insured and an hourly rate OR a per time push rate that I pencil in when I get to the parking lot. Also contact info like phone number and email address. Alot of them don't have the time to call and talk, they will send you an email to meet up or additional questions.

I put the rate on there because if you are lower than what they are paying, they are more likely to get ahold of you. I have also been to their parking lot earlier and have made up my mind what I want to charge them prior to going and giving them the flier.